Bernice Bogart Obituary

April 26, 1922 - March 20, 2008 BERNICE "BEA" ALMA BOGART, age 85, passed away March 20, 2008 at the Medalion Center in Colorado Springs. She was born April 26, 1922 in Denver, Colorado, and was adopted as a baby and lovingly raised by Elmer and Florence Lawson. Bea Bogart met her future husband, George Danual ("Dan") Bogart, in Colby, Kansas in 1938. They were married in Tacoma, Washington, on July 5, 1942 while he was a pilot in the Army Air Corps during WWII. Bea and George had four children: Darrel, Carol, Sally and Nancy, and raised them in Casper, Wyoming. They lived in Casper for 35 years, and then retired to Colorado Springs, which they called home for more than 20 years. They were active members of the First Baptist Church in Casper and in Colorado Springs, where they taught Sunday School, worked with youth, served as officers and played music for church functions. After faith and family, Bea's passion was the piano and she played it beautifully, with exuberance and joy. It was her custom to perform at least one tune on every piano she encountered, whether or not the owner of the piano wanted her to. Sometimes museums and fancy hotels did not. George accompanied Bea on guitar and they made music together for more than 60 years. Their home was filled with music, laughter and friends, and there was always room for another plate at the table, and another picker in the band. In Wyoming, they accompanied many a musician at the annual Old Time Fiddlers' Association, and entertained at the Casper and Buffalo Senior Centers. During the first ten years of retirement, they traveled around the country playing for dances and at jam sessions with other retired musicians. In Colorado Springs, they played for the El Paso County Fair in Calhan, at the Miramont Castle every Christmas, at the General Palmer Day celebration, and at senior centers and nursing homes in the area, donating their time and talent more often than not. Both Bea and George were volunteers for Silver Key for several years. When Bea was 70 years old, she was reunited with her birth mother, Anna Vurpillat, as well as a brother, Ray Vurpillat, and continued a relationship with him and his family for the rest of her life. Bea Bogart was preceded in death by her husband, her adoptive parents and her mother. She is survived by her son Darrel [wife Beverly] of Price, Utah, her daughters, Carol Boyles and Sally Moon of Colorado Springs, and Nancy Ann [husband Jarvis] Barlow of Nashville, TN, her brother, Ray Vurpillat [wife Freda] of Houston, Texas, her grandchildren: Sherri Lynn Jones, Terri Ann [husband Derek] Joyner, Frederick Daniel Moon [Nancy Miller], Barbara Ann [husband Gary] Haeck, LeShawn Renee Carey [Randy Petrich], Danial Robert [wife Kathy] Bogart, Molly Belinda Boyles [husband David] Carbrey, Brent Lee Moon, Brandi Rae Morgan [Jeff Zaccardi], Wendie Lee [husband Pedro] Mendoza, 15 great grandchildren and two great-great grandchildren. Bea Bogart had a wonderful life, full of family and hundreds of friends she loved and who loved her. She had a happy spirit, laughed easily and helped the rest of us to see the humor in every situation. Anyone who entered her orbit felt lucky for the experience. But as she would say, "We were not LUCKY, we were BLESSED." Bea Bogart's family expresses deep appreciation to: Life at the Bluffs; Pikes Peak Hospice; Interim, and especially the angels at The Medalion, for all their tender kindness to her during these last precious months. Also thanks to her beloved friends Gus and Naomi Reynolds, and to Jean Fero and those others who visited Bea faithfully and often until her passing. We thank Dr. Cameron Shaw who made a miracle happen just seven months before the end of her life that allowed Bea to hear our voices for the first time in nearly 30 years. A celebration of Bea Bogart's life will be held at the First Baptist Church in Casper, Wyoming on July 6, 2008.